Experiment
by redqueen-nero
Summary: A selection of drabbles. A routine call turns into Shiro's worst nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

Follows some time after Origins

* * *

**Torture**

It sounded like a routine call; demon spotted in a creepy part of town, she got those all the time. Jobs like that didn't pay much, but Shiro was past complaining; a girl had to eat. It was an old house on the edge of town and was rumoured to be full of all kinds of demons; of course, she couldn't see any first signs of them and the bringer hadn't reacted to anything.

"This better not be a prank," she sighed and made her way up the weed covered path. The door was missing and ivy growing over the house had snaked its way inside, crawling across the walls; leaves covered the bare floors in brown and green patches, and the grass hid the view of the city.

A creak above her. Probably a raccoon or a fox, but she should check it out anyway; she pulled Blue Rose from her holster and quietly climbed the stairs. Four doors waited for her, three on the left and one on the right; the largest, on the right, would be the master bedroom which would be above the living room.

Where the creaking had come from.

The former knight nudged the door open; a four poster bed, covered in a dust sheet, came into view and she took cautious footsteps inside. A dresser stood against one of the walls, covered in another dust sheet, a wardrobe was next to it and a side table was between the bed and an open window; she scowled and holstered the pistol.

"It was probably a bird."

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her head and the room tilted sideways.

Her head was still throbbing when she woke; thump, thump, thump in time with her heart beat. Her limbs felt heavy and she could taste something…cotton? Blue orbs focused slowly; she could see a blurred figure in front of her and her eyes widened once they became clear.

"Hello my p-pretty." He grinned at her. "Its b-been a long t-time."

Shiro panicked and tried to escape from him, only to find her arms tied to the headboard of the poster bed; looking down at herself, she had been stripped down to her boxer briefs and bandages had been wrapped around her chest. Her feet were chained to the bottom posts.

"I haven't d-done anything. Just p-p-protecting your m-m-m-modesty."

She cringed; he probably had a little personal time in the bathroom afterwards. Creep.

Agnus moved to the foot of the bed to her right side, leering at the demonic arm held in a metal cuff and chained behind her head. "I've given you a l-little injection; it makes your limbs feel a little b-bit heavy and should keep you from using this _magnificent_ arm…"

Shiro growled around the gag and his eyes shifted to her face.

"You…are my _greatest_ creation," he bragged. "N-never before h-have I tried to clone another being!" He cupped her face in his large hands. "And you are linked to Sparda; from here, my research is e-e-endless!"

The hulking scientist moved around the bed again to the opposite side and whipped the dust sheet from the bedside table, revealing a tray of surgical instruments. "It t-took me weeks to find you and then I had to s-study your m-movements." His hand ghosted over the choice of knives and he looked to her again. "A s-s-sexual encounter with the real Nero…h-how…interesting. Not even I could p-predict such a thing to h-happen between you; yet, how can I b-blame him?" The eyes travelled over the length of her body. "Y-Y-You are a…_w-w-w-wondrous_ creature."

Shiro's creepy senses are tingling and she feebly tugged at the restraints. Agnus twirled a scalpel between his fingers and lightly ran his free hand across her stomach; the muscles twitched and he grinned. Cold metal met the sensitive area and Shiro sucked in a pained breath when the tiny blade sliced through the flesh; blood pooled over her pale skin and the scientist wiped it away to watch the wound heal.

"V-Very impressive…I w-w-wonder how much you can e-e-e-endure…" Moonlight hit the blade as it spun in his hand and he drove it into her stomach; the former knight let out a muffled cry and threw her head back. "One."

One!? Shiro tried to take slow, deep breaths and felt his hand lingering around the side of her ribs; the same pain quickly followed and she could feel the edge of the knife poking at her lung.

"Two. Where to put the third?" he pondered aloud. "C-Could you survive a b-blow to an a-a-a-artery?" Fat fingers traced her neck and down her chest, coming back up and pressing the final blade against the artery next to her collar bone. It entered slowly, painfully, and Shiro's whole body jerked; tears ran down her face and Agnus wiped them away with his thumb.

"You're doing very well," he cooed; his stutter settling now that he was concentrating on his work. "I promise to pull it out before you bleed to death. You are far too precious to die so early into this experiment – _I won't allow it_," he finished darkly. "Now." His eyes travelled to her boxer briefs. "For a little examination…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Rescue**

The boxer briefs were carefully cut away and two fat fingers probed without restraint, forcing their way inside – twisting and running along the walls. Shiro whimpered and tugged at one of her leg restraints to try to kick the scientist with a single thought running through her mind:

When Nero comes to rescue her, Agnus was as good as dead.

_If_ Nero came. She'd scrawled some details on a random envelope, but her hand writing wasn't the best even when she took her time; the eligible writing looked like a spider had skidded through ink, even Shiro couldn't read it.

"S-S-So warm and _t-t-t-t-tight_." Shiro knew he was getting some other sick pleasure from what he was doing to her and was glad when he'd finally removed his fingers and wiped them on a rag; he set it down next to his tray and picked up a syringe. "This will keep you from moving while I examine you f-f-further; I wouldn't want to c-cut something I shouldn't."

Shiro was losing focus and was suddenly aware of the trail of blood running down her neck and pooling under her shoulder blade; Agnus seemed to notice this too and whipped each blade from her body like he was snatching up weeds in a flowerbed. The former knight panted around the gag and gripped it with her teeth.

"There we go," he cooed, and the jab with the needle in her side seemed like nothing in comparison; she barely felt it. "That should only t-take a few m-moments to work its way through your s-system."

The area began to tingle for a moment and then it spread throughout her body; the muscles and tissue within her slowly began to feel heavy and Shiro swore she was sinking further into the old mattress. She tried to move her leg but her body had lost communication with it.

Her eyes widened at the sight of another scalpel looming over her lower stomach and the twisted scientist grinned. "I w-wonder how l-l-long you'll s-s-stay awake…" The blade cut long, slow and deep across the flesh; Shiro bit down on the gag again with a cry, her muscles were asleep, but her nerves were wide awake and screaming at her. It wanted away from the pain – her brain wanted away – so it did the next best thing.

Blue eyes rolled back and Shiro fell into darkness.

How was she still alive? The former knight wondered as the room came into focus again. Shiro noticed a sheet covering her lower stomach and her thighs; Agnus stood at the foot of the bed with his hands behind his back, a wide grin spread across his face as her eyes settled on him.

"A f-fully f-f-functioning r-r-reproductive s-s-system," he stated with excitement in his eyes. "A-Another area to e-explore in r-r-research."

Shiro's head rolled back; she knew what that meant and she'd rather die than give birth to some demonic experiment! A familiar clicking sound drew her attention back to him and blue orbs settled on her precious Blue Rose in his chubby fingers; Agnus studied the weapon with mock interest and his eyes locked with hers.

"N-Now that I h-have examined you – s-s-seen what you c-can endure – it's t-time for a t-t-taste of your own m-m-medicine!" he growled and pointed the barrel at her. The gun kicked and Shiro howled in pain; the smell of burning flesh and tissue filled her nostrils and she could feel the heat of the bullet burning at the bone where it had lodged. A small part of her was thankful that it was just above her kneecap and nowhere vital; however, it didn't stop fresh tears running down her face again.

The mattress suddenly sunk around her and she dared to open her eyes again. Agnus stood over her with Red Queen firmly in his grasp; with another twisted grin, he slammed the blade down with enough force for it to embed into her chest close to the hilt. The bandages split, blood shot up her throat and sprayed out awkwardly around the gag; some hit the material in her mouth and choked her.

"There, there…" The scientist hopped off the bed and pulled the material from her mouth; she turned her head to one side and violently coughed blood onto her arm.

"I'm…g-going to…k-kill…you…" she promised. If Nero or Dante weren't coming she would kill him herself; she wasn't sure how, yet, but she would.

Agnus laughed. "I'm s-sure you will, t-trapped in those r-restraints."

"SHIRO!" A voice called from downstairs, startling them both, and quick footsteps followed.

"Wait up, kid!"

Shiro chuckled. Technically she was Nero and Agnus knew that. "The…o-other…me w-will, then."

The scientist did have time to plot a quick escape; Nero was already in the doorway, his eyes filled with burning rage that darkened when he noticed Agnus. "_You_," he growled and stepped into the room with Dante behind him. "How are you alive!?"

"A l-little f-feat I'm s-still trying to f-figure out m-myself," he explained, edging towards the window.

Dante had Ebony and Ivory posed and ready. "Not so fast there, buddy. Nero, you can have the honours of freeing our damsel." He stepped closer to Agnus while Nero rushed to the bed, cursing at the sight of his sister.

"Shiro…"

"Is that what she's c-calling herself? P-Pretty…"

Dante pointed the barrel of Ebony in the scientist's face to remind him the red clad hunter was still in the room. "I'd put a sock in it if I was you; the kid's got a real soft spot for her, pissing him off further isn't a wise choice."

Nero eased himself onto the mattress and planted his feet on either side of her and grasped the hilt of her Red Queen; Shiro gave him a tiny nod and it took two strong pulls to dislodge the blade, Nero threw it to the floor and dropped to his knees, cupping her face with his hands. "I'm getting you out of here…" He wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs and his eyes met her blue glazed ones. "Stay with me."

Shiro gave him a tiny smile and another nod. Nero drew Blue Rose and pressed it to the chain above her wrists. "This is going be loud." The shot rang in her ears and the sound caused her to squeeze her eyes shut; she didn't open them again until he moved off her. He pulled the sheet up and carefully lifted her to wrap it around her. "I've got you, sis…"

"'S-Sis?'" Agnus laughed. "Is that what you c-call your c-c-clone?"

Shiro felt Nero tense and looked up at him through her eyelashes; his brow creased in anger and he let out a snarl. "Clone? Bullshit!"

"It's true…" she admitted quietly and averted her eyes from him when he looked to her. "I found out while…I was in Fortuna…"

There was a pause before Nero snorted and carefully lifted her into his arms. "Like I give a crap!" This caused Shiro to roll head back to look at him; he managed to give her a small, reassuring smile, and she looked to Dante – who gave her a wink.

"H-How p-p-precious! But you should not be d-deluding yourself into thinking that this is the l-l-last of me!" A bright light surrounded him and the power behind his Angelo form threw Dante back; Agnus dodged the bullets from Ebony and Ivory and flew into the hallway. The red clad hunter followed him but glass from the landing window signalled the scientist's escape; Dante lowered his guns with a frown.

"Let my guard down," he apologised as he stepped back inside, holstering his guns and holding his arms out. "I'll carry her back."

"I've got her," Nero told him.

"C'mon, Kid, she can't be comfortable with that arm of-"

Nero cut him off with a possessive growl. "I've got her. Wanna be useful? Grab her sword and gun."

Dante raised his hands and collected the weapons from the floor before leading the way out. Shiro rested her head against Nero's shoulder and drifted to sleep


	3. Chapter 3

**Safe**

Shiro woke to a sharp pain, and for a moment she had forgotten Nero had Dante had saved her; she wriggled and kicked, a hand grasped her ankle and arms tightened around her.

"Easy, it's us," Nero soothed and rubbed her arm through the sheet. "The old man's digging the bullet out so it can heal."

She whimpered and opened her eyes to see Dante lightly holding her ankle and rubbing soothing circles with his thumb; she watched the digit a few times before muttering, "Tickles…"

A smirk played on the elder hunter's lips; his eyes quickly shifted to Nero and the smirk dropped. "You're no fun, kid," Dante sighed dramatically and Shiro looked up to her brother, who was glaring at the older hunter.

"Nero…" Their eyes met and Shiro could still see anger lingering in his blue orbs, but she wasn't sure if it was because of Dante or Agnus. "You found me…How?"

"Tch, it's my handwriting too."

"Good thing he can read it," Dante stated while easing a pair of tweezers into the wound. "Otherwise you'd be all out of luck."

Nero growled. "That's not helpful, _asshole_!" He shot Dante another glare and tightened his grip on her. "You don't have to tell us but…what did that sick bastard do to you?"

She shook her head and held back a whimper, trying to keep her leg still for Dante; she buried her face into Nero's neck and his human hand tangled in her hair. "You knew I was in trouble…"

"We picked up the smell of your blood from the doorway of the house," Dante explained and then stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth. "Then Nero took off like a greyhound."

Shiro could feel the bullet scraping against the bone. "I passed out once…so I'm not sure about everything he'd…done," she managed between pained pauses. "He cut me open…that's when I passed out." She hadn't wanted to tell them anything yet, but she needed to do something to take her mind off the pain.

"I'll kill him," Nero snapped.

Dante chuckled and finally eased the bullet out. "Gotcha! That was in pretty deep, it might hurt for a few days."

Shiro pulled away from her brother to look at the wound; Dante was already dabbing the blood away with a washcloth. "Thanks…Both of you."

"It's no problem, babe." Dante leaned in close with a grin. "Now, you're covered in blood, and I'm sweaty from chasing Nero to that house, let's shower togeth-" A devil bringer to the chin cut him off; Shiro stared at it for a moment and then watched it snake back around her.

Dante rubbed his chin with a grumble. "You have a problem, kid."

"She's my _sister_ and like hell I'm going to let her shower with the likes of you!"

"Clone…" she corrected and rested her head on Nero's shoulder with a sigh. Nero snorted.

"Same thing, isn't it? Isn't a twin a clone?"

She knew he had a point, or was trying to make one to help her feel better about it, but she still found herself arguing. "I was created by Agnus for-"

"I don't _care_, Shiro." Fingers tangled in her hair again. "It doesn't matter." His fingers made soothing patterns against her skull and she leaned into the touch; she'd wrap her arms around him but she was still cocooned in the sheet. Shiro closed her eyes and the last thing she remembered was Nero's soft lips on her forehead


	4. Chapter 4

**Peace**

Her senses woke before she did; there was a musty smell, mixed with some kind of cologne and sweat. Shiro nuzzled the fabric beneath her head with her cheek and took in the lingering smell of shampoo; it woke the rest of her senses and she was aware of something else with her.

"You awake, kid?"

Blue eyes opened slowly and she rolled onto her back; Dante was sat in a chair by the bed with his arms and legs crossed, he tilted his head to the side and smiled. "You gave us a scare."

Shiro gave him a sleepy stare before rubbing her eyes. "Scare? How long was I out?" She moved into a sitting position and felt a pain shoot through her lower stomach; her chest tightened with panic and her fingers ran across the shirt she was wearing. Was she just in pain, or had Agnus done something to her?

"About a day and a half." Dante pulled her from her thoughts and uncrossed his legs. "It looks good on you."

The black shirt hung off one shoulder and one of the sleeves was rolled up to accommodate for her bringer, it was buttoned up to her chest enough to just show a little cleavage. "Thanks…" She felt the heat spread across her cheeks. "Did…you…?"

He laughed. "Oh no. Believe me, I wanted to but Nero got all protective again and punched me in the face!" The laugh dropped to a chuckle and reached over to the bedside table to pour her a glass of water. "He gave you a quick sponge bath too, just to wash the blood off," he told her and the blush deepened. She shouldn't feel so embarrassed about it; they had seen each other naked before but the situation was different this time.

"Where is he?"

Dante offered her the drink and watched her down it in three huge gulps. "Went to get something to eat; he didn't want you to wake up alone so he asked me to watch you. Another?"

"Pl-ease," she managed around a hiccup while handing the glass back. He poured her another and she drank it a little more slowly.

"Nero said your chest and stomach was a mess – that's probably why it hurt to sit up – I should look at your knee." He moved to sit on the edge of the bed while she peeked down the shirt; she could make out a dark pink line on her chest and frowned.

"Will…it scar?" she asked as she slid her leg out of the cover for him; there was a dark pink bump just above her kneecap and Dante nodded.

"'fraid so, babe. When we're at full strength – when our bodies can function at its best – we can heal without any lingering marks." He put pressure on the scar with his thumb and waited for any pained reaction; she didn't flinch. "But as doped up as your body was? Well, it struggled."

Shiro looked down into the glass and felt tears well up behind her eyes. She wanted to forget the whole thing had happened and move on; but now she had three ugly scars to constantly remind her of Agnus and his sick, twisted mind. Dante took the glass from her before she gripped it too hard and set it on the bedside table.

"Don't pull that face, babe." He gently cupped her chin and lifted her head to look at him. "You've still got a rocking bod'!"

The elder hunter was suddenly pulled off the bed and held in the air by Nero's devil bringer. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Dante seemed un-phased by the sudden handling and merely shrugged. "Just paying a traumatised young lady a compliment; is that a crime?"

Nero dropped him without another word and strolled over to the bed, yanking the cover back over her leg before sitting and studying her; his eyes were still full of worry and she gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm alright, bro."

"No you're not – how can you be fine after that?" He clenched his fists and looked down at the sheet; Shiro's eyes softened and she placed a hand over his.

"I'm alright because you and Dante are here; you got me out of there and that's all that matters for now."

"She's got a point, kid." Dante dropped back into the chair. "Right now, our main concern is getting her back to full strength; after that, we can go after Agnus."

Nero snorted. He knew Dante was right but he wouldn't admit it; instead, he ignored the old man and placed his hand on Shiro's forehead. "How do you feel?"

"A little tired," she admitted. "And hungry."

A smile pulled at his lips. "I brought Chinese home, want some?"

She grinned. "Right now I think I'll eat anything – even Dante's day old pizza."

"I'll let that little insult pass." The older hunter stood and headed for the stairs. "Since you're still recovering and all." He disappeared with a wink and Nero snorted again.

"Did he do anything funny?"

Shiro chuckled. "No, we both know he wouldn't try anything."

Another snort. "I guess." He grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over hers. "I don't know how that bastard is alive again, but I swear I will kill him; just because he created you doesn't mean that gives him the right to…" he finished with a growl. "You're not his property!"

She had to bite her cheek to hold back another chuckle. "But with the way you keep growling I must be yours." That caused his pale cheeks to redden, but he managed to recover.

"Well, you are made from my DNA." He smirked and gave her hand a squeeze. "Seriously…when he comes back, or when we find him, I'll kill him."

"Save me a piece." She smirked back and wrapped her arms around his neck; his own arms snaked around her waist. Shiro loved her brother, perhaps a little more than she should; but he had helped her pick a name and made her feel loved – and for that she was grateful.

She saw Dante stood by the door and they exchanged small smiles; he was there for her too, and that put her at peace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tears **

Shiro didn't like to admit she cried. She was part demon and somehow got it through her head that demons didn't cry; she was moody - she could admit that - and mood swings came with the territory of being a woman.

Crying did not. At least, not in front of anyone if she could manage it; yet with Nero or Dante hovering around her, she found it difficult to grasp her emotions. In reality, she wanted to break down in a heap and cry herself to sleep; she had been tortured both physically and emotionally, and the only way her body wanted to deal with it was with waves of tears.

On the outside, she pulled little smiles and tried her usual sassy comments at Dante, but even he could see through her - she knew he saw the pain inside and graced her with a few moments alone before Nero stormed up the stairs.

"What's wrong? Did he say something?"

He'd caught her a few times mid cry, so she rubbed her eye gently.

"Hn, no. Eyelash, I think."

He knew there was a lie there, he was just too over protective to see exactly what it was and muttered something about shooting Dante in the face. "Let me see."

"I got it," she sniffed and pulled the cover up to her shoulders and studied him. Red Queen on his back, Blue Rose at his side. "Going out?"

"Yeah; big job so Dante's coming too." A guilty looked washed over his eyes. "Will you be ok for a while? Just a few hours maybe."

Blue eyes drifted to her own weapons by the bedside table. "I think I'll manage, yeah." She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's been a few days, Nero; I feel stronger, honest."

He gave her a little nod but still left with a guilty look; Shiro knew he was blaming himself for what happened - but how was he to know she'd be held hostage? He wasn't even there when she took the call.

Shiro sat in silence for a little over an hour before her eyes scanned the room and fell to the full length mirror by the wardrobe; she stared at it for a long while and slid out of the warm bed.

The shirt didn't hang very low - only to her thighs - no wonder Nero was insistent that she wore his jacket while wandering around the office; even when Dante wasn't around. It was long in the sleeves though, hanging over her fingertips of her human hand and bulging our awkwardly above the elbow of the bringer; the buttons were small, but she managed to undo them one by one with her left hand.

The scar is long and ugly, starting from the middle of her chest to her solar plexus; the dark pink still hadn't faded enough to match her pale skin and was still thick with healing tissue. It throbbed occasionally, reminding her it existed and it wasn't just a bad dream. No doubt that she had a matching one on her back.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued with the buttons and let the shirt fall open. The second scar was just as horrible and pink as the one on her chest, running across her stomach from right to left; Agnus had been precise with his cut, the line was straight and perfect - like she had been.

The first tear fell.

If the scars had been from someone - something - else, Shiro might not have minded; it was the fact that someone had tampered with her, probed her most intimate spot, that shook her to her core. She had been perfect and pure in someones eyes, now it was ruined.

Shiro had become a mess of salty streams and hiccups; she'd fallen to her knees at some point and that was how Nero found her. She'd barely registered his words or his touches when he wiped the tears from her face; it was only when he'd grasped her wrists to pull her arms away from herself did she finally hear him.

"If you come in here, Dante, I'll make you regret it!" he snapped whilst looking to the door.

"It's my room!" he scoffed, but there was a usual playful tone behind it. "She ok?"

"I don't know…" Nero looked back to her. "Sis?"

"They're…" Her eyes dropped from his. "Hideous…"

His eyes softened and he re-buttoned the shirt for her. "They're still healing. Once that's done you'll barely notice them."

"Bet they'll look hot!" Dante chimed in, which earned the door another glare.

"Not that he'll ever see them…" Nero grumbled and scooped his sister into his arms. "You look fine; still…" he paused, because it was hard for him to say. "Still cute."

She looked to him and he gave her his usual 'shut up' glare, which was normally reserved for Dante. Shiro let herself be tucked back into bed and she rested her head on Nero's leg when he sat with her; Nero allowed Dante to finally enter while stroking the back of her neck with the bringer.

Tears continued to fall, but neither of them said anything and let her drift to sleep.


End file.
